INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. – Incline Village Community Hospital announced that it has achieved accreditation through the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) for its Critical Access Hospital (CAH) program. The accreditation recognizes the hospital’s commitment to quality, patient safety and continuous improvement, and its ability to meet rigorous federal and national standards for Critical Access Hospitals.
A Critical Access Hospital is a federal designation created to preserve access to hospital care in rural and geographically isolated communities. To maintain the designation, hospitals must meet specific requirements related to location and distance from other hospitals, maintain no more than 25 inpatient or swing beds, provide 24/7 emergency care, maintain an annual average acute inpatient length of stay of 96 hours or less, and continuously meet the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Conditions of Participation.
“Critical Access Hospitals are an important part of the healthcare safety net for rural and remote communities, providing essential care where access can be especially challenging,” said Michael McGarry, chair of the Tahoe Forest Health District Board of Directors. “We are incredibly proud of our team and their dedication to providing safe, high-quality care close to home.”
For Incline Village Community Hospital, those requirements reflect an important community mission. Located in a high-altitude mountain community, IVCH provides emergency and hospital care close to home in a region where geography, weather, road conditions and distance can create significant barriers to accessing healthcare. During peak winter and summer tourism seasons, the hospital also serves a population that expands well beyond the community’s year-round residents, including visitors and the workforce that supports North Lake Tahoe.
“ACHC accreditation recognizes Incline Village Community Hospital’s commitment to meeting rigorous standards while fulfilling that important role for the North Lake Tahoe community,” said Anna Roth, President and CEO of Tahoe Forest Health System. “It also reflects the passion and dedication of our team, who work every day to provide the best possible care for our patients.”
As part of Tahoe Forest Health System, IVCH and its Rural Health Clinics and other health system services provide an essential healthcare safety net for the North Lake Tahoe community.
ACHC accreditation is distinct from the federal CAH designation. ACHC has CMS deeming authority for Critical Access Hospitals and conducts a comprehensive survey to evaluate whether a hospital meets federal Conditions of Participation as well as ACHC’s standards for quality and safety. The survey examines how the hospital operates and delivers care across areas including clinical services, quality improvement, medication management, infection prevention, patient rights, emergency services, governance, staffing and credentialing, physical environment and life safety.
During the accreditation survey, ACHC surveyors recognized IVCH as the “valedictorian of Critical Access Hospitals.” The recognition was a powerful reflection of the culture of excellence the team has built and the high level of care they provide every day despite the unique challenges of serving a small, rural mountain community.
ACHC is a nonprofit organization that has served as a symbol of quality and excellence in healthcare since 1986. ACHC is ISO 9001:2015 certified and has CMS deeming authority for a range of healthcare services and facilities, including Critical Access Hospitals.
